How to Recruit Students for a Private School

If you want to have a successful private school, your most important asset will be your students! It is imperative to find those students that are a good fit for the services you offer.

There are several methods for recruiting students for your private school, including traditional and non-traditional methods. Traditional methods include television spots, mass email blasts, newspaper ads, brochures, and billboards. These methods can be effective; however, the marketplace is steadily growing, making it more difficult to stand out from the crowd. In making the decision to attend a private school, parents will follow several avenues to find information, such as word-of-mouth, an online search, and campus visits.  Parents will search online and offline sources for information about your private school. Therefore, including online marketing efforts will increase your chances of finding students and recruiting students.

The first thing you need to do to find the students that are the best fit for your private school is create a picture of your target market. Include characteristics such as:

• Average age
• Place of residence
• Average number of children
• What they look for most in a private school
• Their top concerns or fears
• Who is most likely to influence their decision (spouse, other family members, child, etc.)
• How do they discover your school? (word of mouth, traditional ads, online search, an agent, etc.)
• What “evidence” are they looking for when selecting a private school for their child?

Once you have a picture of your target market, you can tailor your marketing strategies to find these students, show them what you have to offer, and provide the information they need to make an informed decision.

The following marketing strategies can be modified and adjusted to meet your needs and the needs of your target market.

1. Create an online presence with blog posts. Blogging regularly will help raise your online visibility, especially when you include important keywords and links that raise your SEO. It will also convey the goals and vision of your private school, thereby building parents’ trust in your school. The blog can cover many different topics that address how the school meets students’ needs and create a positive tone about your school and the private school experience.
2. Include testimonials from students and parents on your website and printed brochures. Testimonials written by students and parents can go a long way in convincing parents that your school is the right school for them. Parents and students can write about their experiences, addressing concerns and priorities, to help create an atmosphere of fraternity. Parents and students can also participate in recruitment events and campus tours. Meeting someone who has lived an experience can help allay fears and create trust by giving parents and students and inside look at life at your private school.
3. Make the campus accessible to parents and students, in-person and virtually, by holding campus tours. During your recruitment efforts, parents and students will want to see the campus and meet the staff. When organizing campus tours, make sure to provide dual engagement, a successful recruitment technique that engages parent and student at the same time. When corresponding with parents, you may want to highlight academics and financial obligations and assistance. With the student, your message may include details about life on campus or activities outside of the classroom.
4. Use social media to boost your online presence. Parents and students will search social media to get an inside view of the campus, activities, and social life offered at your private school. Take advantage of this marketing tool by sharing and promoting posts on Facebook and Twitter. Add links to your website and plenty of pictures.
5. Use online ads such as Paid Search and Pay-Per-Click to get your website at the top of Google search results and get noticed by parents when they are searching online for your private school. Use SEO and tailor your ads to meet your target market. In your ads, highlight the programs that set you apart from other schools, including academic programs as well as award winning programs in art, dance, drama etc.
6. Get listed on Private School Directories. In your efforts to recruit students to your private school, remember to add your information to Private School directories. These directories are available to parents to help them navigate private school options, such as location, curriculum, and entry requirements.
7. Develop relationships with your community. Word-of-mouth is a strong recruitment tool, so developing relationships with organizations in your community that will recommend your school to parents will have long-term, lasting effects on your recruitment efforts. Developing relationships with organizations that house prospective students creates a talent pipeline, for example, daycares educate future elementary students, and the public school system houses junior high students that will become high school students. Furthermore, the more your students participate in community events, including art shows, community service projects etc., the more visible your school becomes, and the positive perception of your school increases.

Recruitment efforts can take many shapes and include a variety of avenues, so that not only is your school is visible but it conveys a positive perception, so parents and students trust that your school is the right school for them.